


GINGA MEGAMI TENSEI (Galactic Goddess Reincarnation)

by kokorogensou



Category: Ratchet & Clank, Shin Megami Tensei Series
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Fantasy, Gen, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-11 14:03:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11715876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kokorogensou/pseuds/kokorogensou
Summary: A Megami Tensei tale set in the original Ratchet & Clank universe, with a couple surprises here and there. Knowledge of any franchises involved isn't required. The story is told through the eyes of Halley Starriski, a lombax freeter living in the corporate-controlled Bogon Galaxy. After a supernatural mishap with a prototype teleporter, Halley develops a device capable of controlling and communicating with demons. The events that follow would soon run deeper than what the jobless lombax could possibly understand, with the fate of more than the universe riding on his shoulders.





	1. prolouge

The Lombax. An odd species, but one of the most prolific races in the known universe. Which in itself is an odd thing, all things considered.  
Physiologically speaking, there's nothing terribly noteworthy about them: merely a gaggle of highly-evolved desert rats sporting big ears and fluffy tails. Less intelligent than a cazar, physically weaker than an argorian, and (thankfully) not as ill-tempered as a blarg...  
I can go on about how inferior they are compared to a deal of other species, but one thing I will give them credit for is that the lombax is definitely a gifted species. Not just in areas of weaponry or engineering expertise, either. No, they're more a breed gifted with a penchant for trouble than anything else.  
Why do I say that? Because it's a f*****g miracle as to why they haven't gone completely extinct yet.  
...  
(Wait, was the camera still rolling?)  
...  
(Oh. Just cut that out in post-production, okay?)  
...  
Right, anyhow. Lombaxes. Throughout my years of research on lombax history, there's been two constants with the most famous individuals:  
One, they're extrordinarily talented with either gadgetry or weaponry.  
Two, those talents have either gotten them tied into trouble, or directly caused it.  
Now, we all know of that Ratchet fellow and all the havoc he's caused across the galaxy. He's not the only lombax famous. The most educated of us know of several other individuals who've had their names laser-cut into history.  
Maeda Androw. Lombax rocket scientist responsible for the Revolverocket, a ship powerful enough to change a planet's rotation by flying in its opposite direction. Also responsible for 'accidentally' plunging the planet Nitta into eternal night during a test run.  
Kaden Arclight. Lombax gladiator and, to date, only survivor of the Argus Death Run. Got involved in an age-old war with the Argorians and the Tarrorians while on honeymoon with his wife. And survived.  
Nikolus D. Gadget. Infamous lombax inventor. Founded the Gadgetron company. I feel that should go without saying.  
I could go on, but I think I'll leave the subject on this note: for a species so prone to chaos, it's amazing how the lombax hasn't been wiped off the face of the universe. Perhaps it's some combination of resilience and wit that allowed them to last this long as a whole. Or maybe it's dumb luck.  
At this point, I'd wager it's a mix of all three.  
If there is such a thing as a lombax that isn't a troublemaker in some form or another, I'd have to see for myself to believe it. Well-behaved individuals rarely make history.  
...  
(Right, I think that'll do for now. Anyone for a tea break after we cut?)

 

~Flynn Duffelston, cazari xenologist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [full chapter notes can be viewed on the DA page: https://kokorogensou.deviantart.com/art/ginga-megami-tensei-prolouge-678485162]
> 
> not really a necessary prologue for the experience, but i had the idea of "pompous discovery channel host talking about lombaxes" floating around in my mind for a while at the time, so i wanted to pen it down as practice. it's been a while since i last wrote anything, especially from a first person perspective, so i'd appreciate any feedback!
> 
> "but gen aren't the lombaxes extinct" shhshhhhshhhhhh going by ps2 canon as a base here but i do have a legit reason for that i swear :u


	2. 1-1: proposition

Four. That's the fourth weird look I've gotten today, and I haven't even been here for an hour.  
I guess I've just been coming here so often that the patrons here have started recognizing me. It's annoying, but I kinda get where they're coming from; I'm probably one out of two or three lombaxes to come by here regularly as of lately. In fact, now that I notice that, I'm starting to recognize a handful of people here I've seen last week.  
Ragald's Fine Dinery is kind of an anomaly of a restruant here in Silver City. It's one of the few diners I know of on the planet that aren't part of any of Megacorp's fast food chains, probably because it's a locally-owned place and one of the oldest buildings on Boldan. It's become a kind of relic in that regard, considering nearly every other building in the city has been reconstructed from the ground up. Even the floor tiling is still retro.  
MegaBurger has customers from all over the galaxy, but Ragald's only sees the same people from the same part of town. Mostly older adults who looked like they grew up with the place in an era before Megacorp stuff became popular. I've seen a couple parents bring their kids here since the desserts are nice, but other than that, I'm probably one of the youngest visitors here.  
Still, it's a nice diner. The food's a bit pricey compared to MegaBurger, but the place is quiet and they have the best galaxy tea I've ever had. Kind of weird how I never considered stopping by here before. Honestly, I haven't even eaten here until recently.  
For a couple years now, I've been working on a couple of personal projects. My room's kind of a mess (according to my mom, anyway), so I've taken to bringing my notebooks to the library downtown to work on schematics, and even look up some information in the engineering books there. Well, that and look through imported comics whenever I got bored. Right now the library's shut down for remodeling, and the staff hadn't released a date on when the refurbishments would be finished.  
That was a month ago, and I still haven't heard any word from them. Really hoping they finish up soon. Ragald's is a nice place and all, but at least I didn't get any dirty looks from anyone at the library. I'm pretty damn sure that Agorian guy who sits at the bar every day doesn't like me.  
If he's going to keep glaring at me every time I come here, that's his problem. Just leave a lombax to work on his notes, jeez...  
Other than that, the only real downside to hanging out here instead of the library is the lack of books, obviously. Not that much of an issue since I can just bring my holophone, but then I have to worry about someone possibly nicking it off me. The owner also doesn't like non-paying loiterers, so I've made sure to buy a galaxy tea every time I come here, even when I wasn't thirsty.  
It's costing me quite a few bolts, but hey, I have a relatively-quiet workspace until the library reopens.  
"Excuse me, sir. Are you available right now?"  
Ugh, spoke too blargdamn soon.  
"Kind of in the middle of something right now!" I don't even look at the guy. Not the first time someone's talked to me in the middle of work; he should really know better than to interrupt someone.  
"My apologies. You didn't have to be so rude..."  
... That's a first, though. Usually people just call me an entitled snob. Maybe I was a little harsh on him; he doesn't sound all that bad.  
I stick a pen in my notebook before closing it and giving the new guy a look. I say 'new' since this guy doesn't seem like anyone I've seen before at Ragald's. Looking at him, why is this guy here, anyway? He seems like he'd be more at home at Megacorp than an old diner.  
He's a lombax for sure, but I've never seen one so gussied up like this. Corporate suit, fancy tie, gold fur, styled mane... he's even got red and blue contacts, for Qwark's sake! I bet Megacorp paid him for those. Definitely a showboat of a guy, but he seems harmless enough.  
After looking over the new guy, I try making eye contact with him. Guh, I hate talking to strangers. "What do you want?"  
The goldbax walks over to a spare seat at my table. "Is this seat taken? I promise I won't be too long."  
"Nah, it's just me," I say, shaking my head. "You can sit if you want."  
"Thank you." He takes the chair, taking great care to not scrape it on the tile.  
Damn, even if it's on a crappy diner chair, he sits like a corporate official at a board meeting, folded hands and everything. What does a Megacorp guy want with me? This isn't about the shoplifting, is it? I quit doing that when I was 9!  
"Allow me to introduce myself." He takes a business card out from his coat pocket, passing it to me from across the table. "Louis Cyphre, executive vice president of Athena Engineering Enterprises. Pleasure to meet you, sir..."  
"Halley. Just call me Halley."  
"Halley...?"  
Blargdamnit, I hate saying my last name.  
"... Starriski. Halley Starriski," I say reluctantly. "Starr-is-kee."  
Louis just smiled wryly. "I take it others mispronounce your surname?"  
"More than I'd like." I simply sigh. "Also, 'Athena Engineering Enterprises'?"  
"Ah, we're situated in the Aleff Galaxy normally."  
"Explains why I never heard of it before. Why are you here, anyway? The Bogon Galaxy's pretty much Megacorp territory, and they don't like competition."  
"We're well aware of that, Halley. Fortunately, our CEO has ties with Megacorp's CEO, so suffice to say we're under legal protection as guests."  
Gotta commend this guy for saying my name correctly. That, and having the head of a rival company be buddies with Mr. Fizzwidget.  
"Jeez, that's impressive." I look over the card in my hands. "'Athena Engineering Enterprises - Bringing The Galaxy Into The New Millenium'... So what do you guys make, anyway?"  
"The usual sorts, mostly. We've collaborated with other companies in manufacturing add-on modules for gadgets and machinery, but our main claim to fame is research and development on hyperspace technology for use in cross-galactic travel. We're rather varied in our operations."  
Hyperspace stuff? Didn't expect him to say that, I honestly thought his company worked on household appliance stuff.  
"... Uh huh. And you're talking to me about this why, exactly?"  
Louis opened his hands. "I wish to ask you if you'd consider an internship with our corporation. You seem like a man who's good with your hands."  
"Woah, woah, woah, what are you implying?!"  
"Well, a lombax doesn't bring notebooks to a quiet cafe to just doodle around in them, does he?"  
Oh. Okay good, that's what he meant.  
"... Eh, I draw stuff in the margins occassionally," I say, taking the pen out of the notebook and flipping to various pages detailing notes and sketches. Warily, I scoot the book over to him. "Most of these are old projects. More recent stuff is before the blank pages."  
Louis takes the book, looking over the plans and daintily turning through the pages, taking care not to rip anything from the binding. "Interesting... are these design notes for computer programs? I'm noticing quite a few Megacorp gadgets sketched in here."  
"Y-yeah, most of those are program stuff."  
The goldbax just continued flipping through the notes while I sat rigidly in my seat.  
"Fascinating... I assume you work with Megacorp?" he asked.  
"I-I freelance, actually." There's no way I'm telling this guy I jailbreak Megacorp products, considering how strict they are about that kind of tampering.  
Louis just continues reading through the notebook. Nothing on his face even gave any suspicion that he was looking through the notes of essentially a hacker-slash-pirate. Actually, he doesn't seem to have any expression at all, just a straight up poker face.  
I hope he's not hiding anything behind that face. Last thing I need is to explain to my parents why the Megapolice are at the door asking for me.  
"Huh, this is interesting..." he scans over some schematics, looking a little surprised for once. "'Planet-to-planet telebox'?"  
"Oh, that's my current project. Half a year in the making." I take the notebook back, flipping through the machine's various notes and schematics. "First time doing something like this. Friend of mine in Barlow is helping with parts and putting the thing together. Teleport program's still in alpha, gotta polish the code and perfect the transportation protocols."  
"That's rather ambitious for a personal project," Louis remarks.  
"Hey, I have my reasons for doing stuff just as much as you and the Megacorp guys have reasons for doing stuff."  
"Indeed. Well, my offer still stands. Athena Enterprises could use a brilliant mind like you, Halley."  
I just shake my head. "Appreciate the compliment, but no thanks. I got my own things to worry about."  
"Really now, not even an internship?" Louis frowned. "We pay our students quite well."  
"Look, I've been busy with the telebox for ages, I'd rather get that done before I consider any longterm career stuff."  
"If you insist." He rose from his seat. "I'll be staying in Bogon until after this year's Megaconvention. If you change your mind before then, give me a call. Number's on the card."  
I glance at his business card again before stuffing it into my pocket. "We'll see what happens."  
Louis just smiled at me before heading to the door. "Pleasure speaking with you, Halley."  
And with that, he simply walked out of the diner.  
I look back at my notes, taking the pen and turning back to the plans I was working on. Didn't expect the conversation to last that long, but I think that's the first time I've ever really talked to anyone here.  
Louis Cyphre... What a strange guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [full chapter notes can be viewed on the DA page: https://kokorogensou.deviantart.com/art/ginga-megami-tensei-act1chap1-678488477]
> 
> and the game begins.
> 
> mostly establishing the setting (give the Bogon galaxy more love plz) and introducing our main lomb Halley, as well as another 'bax who totally isn't going to be an important dude, no sir
> 
> not much else to note, really. and yeah, i know some of the cusses like "blargdamn" and "for Qwark's sake" sound weird, but you kinda gotta consider that these are basically aliens from another galaxy who i don't think would use "hell", "goddamn", "christ", etc
> 
> also, for those wondering what galaxy tea is like, imagine bubble tea but it's konpeito in sweet tea. O:


	3. 1-2: usual daze

Sun's setting. Diner's closing for the night. Time to get home before Mom gets worried.  
With my notes and tools (and phone, of course) all safe in my backpack, I head out of the restruant. With everyone leaving for the night, there's only a few ships in the parking lot, most notably big guy Ragald's own Vadeswagon. Jeez, no wonder the place still uses gas grills; ship's as old as he looks.  
There's a small section for hoverbike parking. It's a relatively recent addition, considering the diner's age: apparently it got added after the place got more popular among the Thugs-4-Less crew. I've only seen the lizardy guys once since I started hanging at Ragald's; they're surprisingly sweet-toothed and well-behaved for a bunch of thugs.  
Sitting in the hoverbike lot is my trusty hoverscooter. You need a licence to ride a hoverbike, but I can't think of riding something so high-speed. Hoverscooters might be much slower, but they're safer and a lot less bulky than a hoverbike.  
I still get a bit antsy whenever I ride it, but at least it saves me from walking all over the city on foot, and I certainly feel safer than if I ever drove a ship.  
I don't own a ship of my own, let alone a licence for one. Even when I turned 18, I never took civilian piloting classes; the thought of flying a ship on my own terrified me back then. Even now, I still can't see myself piloting one of those things without crashing into traffic or getting sucked into a black hole or something.  
Thinking about it now is still pretty embarassing... I'm 24 and I still have to ask Mom if she can drive me every time I need to go off-planet. At least I have the hoverscooter whenever I want to go to the diner or library.  
I quickly snatch my helmet out from the scooter trunk before hopping on and strapping the thing to my head.  
Stick my keys in the ignition...  
...  
And off we go.

Have to keep my eyes on the walkway while riding. Even at a slow speed, I still need to keep my eyes out for anyone I might run into. Though, there doesn't seem to be anyone around today, outside of the occassional ships on the hyperways.  
Must be a work day for most people, I guess. Saves me worrying about running over some Megacorp drone or something.  
I glance over to the skyline. Silver City is always at its most beautiful during sundown; there's just enough light to see the silhouette of the buildings and skyscrapers, but it was close enough to night that you could see the glimmer of the stars. Boldan might be one of the busiest planets in the galaxy, but there's no factories spewing out smoke, no testing rockets waking people up in the middle of the night, and no marketing drones pestering people at their doorsteps. Well, for the most part, anyway.  
For all the good Megacorp's done, I'm still glad they haven't rubbed their mitts all over Silver City like they have every other capital in the galaxy. Damnit, I still can't believe they tore down the library on Notak just to build a mini-mall on top of it. I loved that place as a kid. At least they haven't got rid of the downtown library here...  
One of these days I really need to ask the mayor what kind of deal she's got with Megacorp. There's gotta be some reason Ragald's hasn't been replaced with another MegaBurger place at this point. Can't be just for heritage's sake; you'd have to bribe the CEO with a lot of bolts if you didn't want them knocking down anything.  
The scooter jolts a bit, nearly making me lose my grip on the handlebars.  
Agh, must've ran over a soda can when I wasn't looking. This is why I can't ever trust myself with piloting a ship. Even with nothing on the road, I can't let my mind wander for a second unless I want to end up in an interstellar traffic jam.  
At least I didn't smack into a street lamp this time...

As I approach my home street, I slow down the scooter to a crawl.  
Amongst sparse rows of dome-roofed durasteel buildings is my house. Even at dusk, I can easily make out my place from everyone else's on our street. It's not so much a matter of looking at housing numbers as it is looking at the yard and building itself.  
The house itself is in great condition: two stories tall, and fairly big with a caramel paint job. In comparison, the front garden has seen better days. Most of the flowers were in great health, but half of the shrubs hugging the base of the building were overgrown, leaves pressing against the foundation. The rest of the bushes were withered from neglect, save for the occassional rain watering them.  
I know Mom's trying to work on improving our place, but she should really take better care of the front yard. It's kinda sad to look at.  
Overlooking the garden was the garage. I drag the scooter up to the door before fishing for the keys in my jacket. I draw them out, stick them in the lock, and lift up the garage door with a mighty swing.  
Inside, sitting alongside an assortment of maintenence tools and liquid canisters, is Mom's cruiser ship. Didn't think she'd be home so early on a weekend. Hope she isn't worried about me being gone for long.  
After parking the scooter in the back of the room, I snag my backpack out of its trunk. Nothing seems to have fallen out of it. Phone's intact, pencils and books are safe... All's good.  
I look around the den, then the kitchen. No sign of Mom anywhere. She working upstairs or something?  
"Hey, Mom? I'm home!" I call out.  
"Good evening, Halley!" a muffled voice responds from upstairs.  
Huh. What's she working on now? I mean, I've heard noises up on the second floor before, but I've always been cooped up in my room to really mind it.  
I drop my bag by the stairs before running up to the second floor.  
Haven't been upstairs too much. Last I remember, Mom was trying to turn the storage attic into a guest room. I thought she dropped the project years ago; there's still boxes of scrap and tools in the closet she was going to use for it. Bed frames, table parts, even stuff for a widescreen entertainment center. No matter how much everyone insists she hires a construction droid, Mom's insistent she works on everything in the house herself. Some would call it "lombax determination". I'd call it being stubborn and frugal.  
Hey, something I have in common with her, at least.  
I immediately notice her as I set foot in the attic, chocolate fur and cream-tipped ears almost obscured under a welding helmet. Laser pen in hand, she's working on some sort of... big generator? Either a battery or generator, I can't tell. What's she doing this time?  
Mom turns off the pen before taking off her helmet, giving me a welcoming smile. "So how was Ragald's today?"  
"Same as usual." I shrug lightly. Aside from talking with that Cyphre guy, it might as well be have been the same as every other time I've been there.  
Mom smirks. "Did you bring me a galaxy tea?"  
I just grumble. I bring her tea from there once, and now she insists on wanting one every time I go to the diner.  
"You forgot again, didn't you?" she asks. "Maybe I should write it down for you next time?"  
"Nah, it's alright," I say, only a little annoyed. "Why're you home so early? I thought you'd be at the repair shop till midnight. Something happen?"  
"Everything's alright, Halley. Had a bit of an oversight today and our manager needs to order more parts."  
"Can't you just bring scrap from home?"  
"Ahh, I wish, but I can't use ship parts on a fridge." She laughs softly.  
Jeez, I didn't think working in mechanics would be that complex.  
"Speaking of which, how's your little box project coming along?" She stands, dusting soot off her smock.  
I shrug lightly. "Pretty good. Almost done building the thing."  
"Really now? That's what you told me last week."  
"I know, but I didn't expect to run into snags with setting up the internal circuitry. I gotta get thermaflux coils, memory boards, conducting gel--"  
"And you assume Max knows what any of those things are?" she interrupts. "If you need them that badly, you can order them online."  
I just groan. "Yeah, but they charge a ton for instant shipping, and I don't want to waste bolts on stuff I can get from Max."  
Mom just frowns. Not an angry frown, but a pensive one.  
"If it's going to be more than your allowance, I can give you some bolts to cover the shipping," she insists.  
"It's fine. Dad coming home tomorrow?"  
"Mhm. Should be home in the morning."  
"Alright. 'Cause I want to ask him if he can fly me over to Max's place."  
"Halley, I don't think Dad wants to make another several-million-mile trip to Barlow after a work day."  
"That's why I'm asking him. Like, I just wanna make sure, okay?"  
Mom sighs. "If you say so."  
"Alright. Gonna head downstairs. I'll catch you later." I make my way to the stairs.  
"Good night, Halley." She puts her welding helmet back on.  
I grab my pack again and make my way down to my room. The whirring of a laser pen from upstairs growing ever more fainter, the familiar noises of Markazian radio comedies replacing it as I tread down the stairs.  
Arriving in my room, I take off my jacket and toss it across onto my bed. Immediately I feel the chill of the basement air, a stark contrast to the summer humidity outside.  
My room might look like a shitshow, but at least it's comfy during this time of the year. Bed near the AC, shelves and books just above it, computer and radio just across from it all... I even managed to get a holovision display up with some extra shelf space for all my games and consoles.  
Definitely a weird bargain I had with Mom years back, but I've gotten a lot of extra space for all my stuff here compared to my old bedroom upstairs. On top of all that, it gave me more space and privacy to work on other major projects; there are some boxes set aside across from my "room", some with various parts for the telebox and other things, others with various machines and gadgets I tinkered with in the past. The rest were filled with clothes, old books, and toys, to name a few.  
I kick off my shoes and slip on a fresh t-shirt, one that wasn't damp with sweat. Figured I might as well look over the telebox again before I check up with Max.  
I've modified gadgets before, but this thing is my first time ever building something from scratch. Of course, that means it looks like a hunk of junk, even with help assembling it. At first glance, it looks more like a gutted vending machine patched together with scrap than a functioning teleporter. If the vending machine was also made entirely out of scrap.  
Yeah, I can't really pride myself on the chassis job.  
Internal wiring's a whole different story, though. Circuit boards are all organized, wires are sorted and bound with twisty-ties, each and every part that's used to make the thing work has been assembled with care. Even got a few spare fuel cells on standby to power the thing.  
I've mucked about with gadgets and computers for well over a decade, so I know the ins and outs of how to put together boards and processors and the like to make something functional. All I just need is a few more parts. Well, that and getting the teleport program alpha onboard. Among other things.  
Probably a good thing this is just a personal project and not something for a resume or the Megaconvention. I don't need people asking me why it looks like junk. Here's the thing: what you're looking at is just the casing for a bunch of parts that all work together. Doesn't matter how crappy it looks; if it functions like it should, that's all that matters in a machine. If it works right, that's all I care about. Presentation's just a bonus.  
I swipe my bag nearby and bring it close. I quickly shove my hand in, shoving papers and notebooks aside for only a moment before taking out my phone. I flip it open, quickly dial a familiar number, and hold the phone to my face.  
...  
"'Eyo," a husky voice answers.  
"Hey, Max," I respond.  
"Oh hey, Hales!" his voice perks up. "How's it hanging?"  
"Not much. Just got back from Ragald's place. You busy tomorrow?"  
"Not really. Why?"  
"I need one last haul of parts for the telebox. Casing and framework's all stable, just need some more stuff for the circuitry and fuel routing."  
"I thought you got it working last time?"  
"Yeah, but the bike engine overheats easily."  
"That's because those things aren't really built for standing machines," Max laughs.  
"Look, I don't know machinery and engineering and all that crap!" I shout angrily.  
"Calm down, Hales. It's your first time doing this. Not gonna go smooth the first time around."  
I just grumble.  
"It's okay. Been guiding you through this for the past few months. You're gonna run into a few snags. Now, what kinda power cells you using?"  
I get up and shuffle through a box of fuel cells, looking over the casing.  
"Uh... Powerluxe Deluxe Fuel. Same stuff Mom uses for her cruiser."  
"Yeah, I think the engine might be the problem. Might have to swap it out with a different power unit."  
I groan. "You sure? It was a pain in the ass enough setting up the bike engine."  
"I can help. Besides, I think we can find something that's more compliant with Powerluxe fuel."  
"Alright. Thought thermaflux coils would migitate the whole overheating thing."  
"Ehhhh, you still might need those. Thermaflux always comes in handy with power units. Anything else you need?"  
"Uhh... gimme a bit..." I quickly snag my notebook out of my bag and look over part names.  
I write everything in plain Galactic Common and yet all these words read like another language to me. Now I see why Mom still writes down shopping lists whenever she goes shopping; I can't expect myself to remember all this.  
"Y'know, actually, I got a list of stuff I need jotted down in my notebook, I'll just bring that along," I say to Max.  
"And the schematics?"  
"Yup. Got that sketched down, too."  
"All right, 'coz that'll help a lot with polishing out this thing."  
"Hopefully. I really don't want to spend another month wondering what I hosed up this time."  
"First thing about practice is you're gonna run into hiccups with your first project."  
"I know, but I just really want this thing to work."  
Max chuckles on the other line.  
"Anyhow, I'll see if I can coax Dad into flying me over to Barlow tomorrow, okay?"  
"Got it. Catch you later?"  
"Yup."  
"Night, Halley."  
"Night, Max."  
With that, I flip the phone shut.  
Probably was a bit harsh, but I'm sure he knows I don't mean anything by it. I'm just annoyed building this box has been taking longer than I wanted. Lot of work just to make something to mount a teleporter program onto.  
Max is a good pal, and he knows more about building and fixing machines than I do. Sure, I've been keeping in touch with him with via phone and Starspeak, but I'm sure he'd appreciate me visiting in person. Besides, been a good while since I last went part-hunting with him.  
... Man though, I hope I can get the telebox up and running soon. Better not take too long to get it working like I want it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [full chapter notes can be viewed on the DA page: https://kokorogensou.deviantart.com/art/ginga-megami-tensei-act1chap2-693982025]
> 
> this and the next few chapters or so will mostly focus on halley's daily life and interaction stuff with his buds and family, also fleshing out halley's initial goal before things take a bit of a wild turn. it's gonna get wilder from there, folks.
> 
> idk, i don't really have much other comments on this chapter lmao


End file.
